Nearly 2000 Western Cape learners benefit from digital tools
- The Kayamandi Secondary School and its learners in the Western Cape have received a new mobile digital library and fibre access thanks to Vuma and RuraTech.
- Now 1 800 learners will have access to educational technology and internet connectivity at no cost.
- This is the second mobile digital library rolled out by the two firms, with the first following a pilot in 2023.
The Kayamandi Secondary School and its 1 800 learners are set to benefit from a newly introduced mobile digital library on the school’s campus.
The new centre was established through a partnership between social enterprise RuraTech and one of South Africa’s biggest fibre operators, Vuma. For many learners at the secondary school, it was their first time being able to access digital technology for education.
“Our learners were not exposed to digital tools until now,” said the school’s principal, Maphelo Ntshanga.
“They used to walk to town to find internet access or use the university library a few kilometres away from the school. But with this library now on school grounds, we’ve brought those opportunities closer, made them safer, more accessible, and part of everyday learning.”
The school will now be able to deliver digital assignments, enable teachers to track learner progress in real time, and introduce learners to interactive learning tools, including coding through Scratch Junior.
“Additionally, learners can explore various future career pathways through software that is tailored to their interests and aspirations,” says Vuma.
The provider says in an announcement that the learners from Grades 8 to 12 at the school will also get to access free connectivity, joining a network of 930 schools in South Africa that have internet access through fibre at no cost.
As for the mobile digital library, the announcement explains that it will act as a “secure, moveable unit that offers offline access to learning materials and career tools to help support education.”
“Learners in township and rural schools are still being left behind. This library, powered by fibre connectivity from Vuma with Webafrica as the Internet Service Provider (ISP), gives them a real shot at competing on equal footing,” explained Jeffrey Katuruza, Director at RuraTech.
“This project is about providing real access and empowering learners to use it fully. If we don’t expose learners to these tools and opportunities, we’re just reinforcing existing barriers. Education is the most powerful way out but only if learners can access it in ways that prepare them for the real world.”
Vuma says that this is the second mobile digital library deployed through this partnership. The first was a pilot at Fernwood Park Primary School in the Eastern Cape in 2023.
“Since the introduction of the library, percentage of learners able to read for meaning increased from 53.1% to 96.3%,” said Katuruza of the initial pilot programme.
Read the article here: https://htxt.co.za/2025/08/nea...